Nasir Ali
A Salisbury Pioneer
Nasir Ali, born in the early 1930s in Bara Dirai, Usmaninogor Sylhet (it was then a part of India). He began his studies in Sylhet before venturing further afield. After graduation, he traveled to Quetta in Pakistan, broadening his horizons. Eventually, he returned home, but the call to explore remained strong. In 1960, he departed for England, initially settling in Halifax. There, he joined a community of Bengali immigrants, all working in a factory.
Like many other Bangladeshi men Nasir Ali came in the many factories in the North of the UK. The men arrived to work and earn money to send back home to send to their families they had left behind.
It was during a trip to visit friends in Bristol driving through the Wiltshire Countryside that Nasir Ali was reminded of his home country and he decided that it would be a good place to settle and start a business and instead of sending all their money to their families, he and a few friends decided to put their money together and start the very first Indian Restaurant in Salisbury “The Asia Restaurant”.
After selling his share, Nasir Ali went back to what was then still East Pakistan and spent a year with his elderly mother and family. When he returned in 1969, he was unable to work in the Restaurant that he had previously owned. He found a job in a factory that made bearings and worked there saving his money and in 1970 he put his money together with his relatives Eron Ali & Todris Ali to start the Taj Mahal restaurant on Fisherton Street. This was the second Indian restaurant to open Salisbury.
Meanwhile back in his home country there was a war of independence being fought and people were going through a famine, and while previously the women and girls had been left behind, these events changed the course of history and many of the men who had established themselves in England applied to the home office for their wives and daughters to join them. Nasir Ali was joined by his wife and young daughter in 1972 above the Taj Mahal Restaurant.
Nasir Ali expanded the Taj Mahal Restaurant when the old launderette next door became available in 1973 and pulled the wall down between the two buildings. He moved his family into the flat that was behind the launderette and the building became a much larger one, which is currently the Everest Brasserie.
A Home for the Family
His enterprising vision led him to the City of Reading in the summer of 1976, where he opened a takeaway. After establishing the business, he returned to his family in Salisbury. Ultimately, he sold the takeaway due to the pressures of managing two businesses and a growing family.
This decision resulted in a financial setback, compounded by fierce competition from the neighboring Italian restaurant, whose owner would intercept customers intending to buy curry.
As business slowed, the Italian restaurant owner convinced Nasir Ali to swap establishments. This arrangement led to the founding of his third Indian restaurant, The Himalaya, which eventually transformed into a takeaway known as the Spice Hut.
Signage of the Himalaya Tandoori Restaurant that was opened by Nasir Ali in 1978 discovered during refurbishment work in 2022
However, unlike his first venture, The Taj Mahal, The Himalaya lacked a bathroom in the flat above. With his family expanding—three children and another on the way—Nasir Ali needed a more practical living space. Thus, in 1978, he purchased a house on Rampart Road, becoming the first Bangladeshi to own a house in Salisbury.
Indian Spices & Groceries
The first Indian Grocery opened by Nasir Ali and his family in 1982 in Wilton Road
In 1982, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, he made a bold decision to sell the family home and invest in a shop and flat on Wilton Road, aiming to capitalize on the burgeoning interest in home-cooked curries. This venture marked the establishment of the first Asian grocery in Salisbury, a pioneering effort that offered loose spices tailored to the specific needs of culinary enthusiasts seeking just a few ounces of particular ingredients for their recipes.
Despite this innovative approach, the business struggled to generate sufficient income to support the family. Consequently, when an opportunity arose for him to travel to Germany to educate others about Indian cuisine as part of a new venture, he seized it, temporarily leaving his family to secure additional funds.
By 1984, it became evident that the grocery business was not financially sustainable. In response, he sold his stake in The Himalaya restaurant at a loss and repurposed the shop into a takeaway establishment “The Kismet Tandoori”. This venture proved more enduring, and the takeaway, now known as The Saffron, continues to operate leased to the current owners of the business.
Permission to hold prayers and teach children granted 1999
In the late 1990s, he played a pivotal role in establishing The Muslim Association of Salisbury. With funds raised by the local Muslim community, along with others, he purchased the property at 19 Wilton Road. He became the Association’s first Secretary and one of its original trustees, laying the foundation for its future.
Today, in his mid-nineties, he and his wife still reside in the flat behind the takeaway, maintaining their close connection to the business they nurtured through challenging times.
